Author Archives: Stephen McDonald

One of the biggest challenges facing the Christian faith today is this: people misunderstand it. Sure, in some places, people haven’t heard of Jesus; that’s a big issue. But often, even where people know about Christianity, they don’t know what it really is. So people think that Christianity is a list of rules that stopContinue reading “Misunderstanding & Defence (Acts 21:27-22:22)”

The end of Paul’s Third Missionary Journey may seem irrelevant to us. ‘What do these voyages and prophecies and vows have to do with us?’ But the question behind them is one we often have to answer: ‘How do you make difficult decisions, especially when the future is uncertain?’ What is ahead for you? CanContinue reading “When the Hard Way is the Best Way (Acts 21:1-26)”

Final words are important. Whether they are planned or not, the last words someone says to us are special. Here in Acts 20, Paul goes out of his way to give his final words to the church in Ephesus. He tells us how we can finish the race well (v24). Later in 2 Timothy 4:7,Continue reading “Paul Sets Priorities (Acts 20:13-38)”

I’m sure I’m not the only one who has been looking forward to this passage in Acts. Maybe you’ve been thinking: ‘Oh great! Stephen has to preach about not preaching long sermons!’ And I’ve been thinking: ‘Oh great! I get to preach about not falling asleep in church!’ But that’s not the main reason thisContinue reading “Deep Into the Word (Acts 20:1-12)”